Conversion Assembly for a Hard Hat

ABSTRACT

A conversion assembly is secured to a hard hat having a protective dome cover and a visor. The conversion assembly includes a plurality of compartment housings operatively secured together. A plurality of electronic circuits is housed within the plurality of compartment housings. A mechanical connector removably secures the conversion assembly to the hard hat when functions performed by the plurality of electronic circuits are required for a person wearing the hard hat. The invention provides enhanced functionality to an already existing hard hat, helmet or other protective head gear.

BACKGROUND ART 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an assembly for converting a hard hat into one capable of communicating remotely from the wearer of the conversion assembly. More particularly, the invention relates to an assembly capable of sensing various conditions and communicating the sensed signals remotely.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are safety helmets or headwear with integrated electronics to provide communication information. Typical safety headwear may include a helmet or other safety-type hard hat used in a variety of industries including industrial, military and emergency. However, integrating these technologies into the respective safety helmets of each industry, such as industrial, military and emergency services, is very costly and requires custom designs and various protection certifications for each industry. Similarly, there are customer acceptance challenges because the users are now required to adopt new and different hats than what they are currently used to.

There is a need for smart technologies in industrial, military, and emergency services. Moreover, there is a need for technologies that can provide tracking, communication, environmental sensing, etc. for users in the field. It is preferable to have these technologies hands-free to minimize burden and restrictions on the user. Incorporating the technologies in a head worn device is also preferable because of the hands-free, telecommunications nature of the device. And incorporating these technologies into pre-existing hard hats that are designed to meet certain specifications allows for the increased functionality of the hard hats without redesigning or compromising the integrity of the an existing hard hat that may meet industry specifications.

Integrated electronics have been customized to helmets or hard hats such as in: U.S. Pat. No. 9,538,801 issued Jan. 10, 2017, U.S. Pat. No. 9,686,136 issued Jun. 20, 2017, U.S. Pat. No. 9,486,027 issued Nov. 8, 2016, and 2016/0249700 filed May 9, 2016, all by the common inventors and assignee.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A conversion assembly is secured to a hard hat having a protective dome cover and a visor. The conversion assembly includes a plurality of compartment housings operatively secured together. A plurality of electronic circuits is housed within the plurality of compartment housings. A mechanical connector removably secures the conversion assembly to the hard hat when functions performed by the plurality of electronic circuits are required for a person wearing the hard hat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention secured over a hard hat, shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the electronic circuits found in the third embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a conversion assembly is generally indicated at 10. The conversion assembly 10 can be secured to safety headwear, generally shown in phantom at 12. In this embodiment, the hard hat 12 is a piece of protective head gear commonly referred to as a hard hat or helmet, depending on the industry. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the hard hat 12 may be any type of head gear used in various industries requiring integrated electronics, such as in the military, industrial, or emergency environments, although not limited thereto.

The hard hat 12 has an outer shell 14 that is rigid and hard, commonly a plastic or polycarbonate. The outer shell 14 typically includes a protective, domed portion 16 and is designed to cover a person's head. The hard hat 12 may also include a brim 13 that extends outwardly from the protective dome portion 16. The outer shell 14 includes a periphery 18 that defines an opening 20 to receive the head of a wearer or host. The hard hat 12 also includes a visor 22 extending from the domed portion 16 to help protect the face or the operator wearing the hard hat 12.

The conversion assembly 10 includes a flexible cover 24 for overlying the wearable device or hard hat 12. The flexible cover 24 may be mechanically secured to the hard hat by a mechanical connector 25. The mechanical connector 25 removably secures the conversion assembly 10 to the hard hat 12. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a non-exhaustive list of types of mechanical connectors 25 include, but are not limited to, hooks, snaps, adhesive or other commonly known mechanisms. In addition, the mechanical connector 25 may be a tongue member that is securable in an auxiliary port that may be built into the hard hat, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,486,027, which is of common ownership, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

In the preferred embodiment, the flexible cover 24 includes a plurality of nylon straps comprising a dome strap 26 extending over the top or center of the domed portion 16 and a peripheral strap 28 extending about the periphery 18 of the hard hat 12. Both the dome strap 26 and peripheral strap 28 may be adjustable to fit various sizes and configurations of the hard hat 12. The straps 26, 28 are shown as of a nylon material; however, it is within the invention to use other durable material.

The conversion assembly 10 assembly also includes a plurality of compartment housings 30. The compartment housings 30 are made of a rigid material, such as plastic or polycarbonate or other rigid material. The compartment housings 30 may be weather resistant if required by the industry by suitable gaskets or other sealers as are commonly known. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, electronics housed within the compartment housings 30 are connected wirelessly. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the electronics housed within the compartment housings 30 may be connected to each other with a wire harness, which would extend along the peripheral strap 28. A wire harness may be used for power, eliminating the need for battery storage on both sides.

The compartment housing 30 may include tracking technology, video, telecommunications, environmental sensors, etc. The conversion assembly 10 is designed such that compartment housings 30 can be added or subtracted based on the industry and user preference. Microphone jacks, an ear jack, and USB ports, and specially designed ports, may be accessible on the exterior surface of the compartment housings 30 to further optimize the functionality of the conversion assembly 10.

The compartment housings 30 may include a visor housing 34 of a larger dimension to rest upon the visor 22 of a hard hat 12 to include larger technology or technology requiring frontal views, such as video technology. The compartment housings 30 may also include a large compartment 36 in the rear of the conversion assembly 10 such as to contain larger technology or a battery. The peripheral strap 28 and dome strap 26 may support the attachment of additional compartment housings 30 for smart technology as required by the wearer or industry, including as shown a microphone 32 for hands free communication.

Referring to FIG. 2 with reference numerals offset by 100 representing similar elements, a second embodiment of the conversion assembly 110 is shown with one the dome strap 26 removed. In this embodiment, the mechanical connectors 125 hold the conversion assembly 110 to the hard hat 112 resting on an outer brim 113 of the hard hat 112. As such, the conversion assembly 110 is held in place by the mechanical connectors 125 working together with the outer brim 113 of the hard hat 112.

Referring to FIG. 3 with reference numerals offset by 200 representing similar elements as those in the prior two embodiments, a third embodiment of the conversion assembly 210 is shown. Unlike the prior two embodiments, the third embodiment of the conversion assembly 210 does not include a flexible cover 24. The conversion assembly 210 includes a single rigid compartment 230, which houses a plurality of electronic circuits 242 therein (the electronics 242 are best seen in FIG. 4). The mechanical connector 225 removably secures the compartment 230 to the underside 240 of the hard hat 212. In this third embodiment, nothing extends over the protective dome cover 216. All of the conversion assembly 212 extends along the periphery 218 of the hard hat 212. The compartment housing 230 may extend below the visor 222 or it may continue around the periphery 218 without extending out underneath the visor 222.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electronics 242 are generally shown in relation to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The electronics 242 include a printed circuit board 243 having electronics that provide and regulate power. Tracking functionality is performed by printed circuit board 245. A third printed circuit board 247 includes electronics that control telemetry and communications and a fourth printed circuit board 249 includes electronics that control sensors housed within the compartment housing 230. Power strip connectors 251, 253, 255, 257 provide connections between their respective printed circuit boards and a power bus 259, which extends through much of the compartment housing 230.

Referring to FIG. 5, with reference numerals offset by 300 representing similar elements as those in the prior three embodiments, a fourth embodiment of the conversion assembly 310 is shown. This fourth embodiment is similar to the second embodiment of the conversion assembly 210. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of compartments 330 extending along the periphery 318 of the hard hat 312. Each of the compartments 330 are secured to the hard hat 312 using one of the mechanical connectors 325. The electronics housed within each of the compartment housings 330 may communicate with each other through a wired connection, a wireless connection or they may act independently of each other and not communicate. In the latter instance, the electronics will be chosen à la carte allowing each hard hat 312 to have any number of functionalities added thereto.

Referring to FIG. 6, with reference numerals offset by 400 representing similar elements as those in the prior four embodiments, a fifth embodiment of the conversion assembly 410 is shown. This fifth embodiment 410 is similar to the third embodiment 210, but it includes a plurality of compartment housings 430 disposed about the underside of the brim 413. A wire harness 460 is shown to connect each of the compartment housings 430 together. In an alternative embodiment, the compartment housings 430 could communicate wirelessly provided each had its own power source. This embodiment provides flexibility in which electronic functions can be performed by selecting which compartment housings 430 the user wants to secure to the hard hat 412 being worn.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. 

We claim:
 1. A conversion assembly to be secured to a hard hat having a protective dome cover and a visor, said conversion assembly comprising: a plurality of compartment housings operatively secure together; a plurality of electronic circuits, each of the plurality of electronic circuits housed within one of said plurality of compartment housings; and a mechanical connector for removably securing said conversion assembly to the hard hat.
 2. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 1 including a cover to flexibly extend over the protective dome cover of the hard hat.
 3. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cover includes a dome strap extendable over the protective dome cover.
 4. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cover includes a periphery strap extendable around the protective dome cover.
 5. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein a portion of said plurality of compartments are secured to said periphery strap.
 6. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 4 including a visor compartment fixedly secured to said periphery strap and positioned adjacent the visor of the hard hat.
 7. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 6 including a wire harness connected to said dome strap and said periphery strap and electrically connecting said plurality of electronic circuits together.
 8. A conversion assembly to be secured to a hard hat having a protective dome cover, a visor and an underside, said conversion assembly comprising: a plurality of compartment housings operatively secure together; a plurality of electronic circuits, each of said plurality of electronic circuits housed within one of said plurality of compartment housings; and a mechanical connector securing each of said plurality of compartments along the brim of the hard hat.
 9. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 8 including a periphery strap extendable around the protective dome cover.
 10. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein a portion of said plurality of compartments are secured to said periphery strap
 11. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 10 including a visor compartment fixedly secured to said periphery strap and positioned adjacent the visor of the hard hat.
 12. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 11 including a wire harness connected to said dome strap and said periphery strap and electrically connecting said plurality of electronic circuits together.
 13. A conversion assembly to be secured to a hard hat having a protect dome cover defining a peripheral rim, a visor and an underside, such conversion assembly comprising: a compartment; a plurality of electronic circuits housed within said compartment; and a mechanical connector for removably securing said compartment to the underside of the hard hat.
 14. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said a mechanical connector removably secures said compartment to the underside of the hard hat adjacent the peripheral rim of the hard hat.
 15. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said compartment extends along all of the peripheral rim of the hard hat.
 16. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 15 wherein said compartment extends along a portion of the peripheral rim of the hard hat.
 17. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 16 including a second compartment extending along a portion of the peripheral rim of the hard hat.
 18. A conversion assembly as set forth in claim 17 wherein said compartment and said second compartment are positioned along said peripheral rim to balance the hard hat on the head of the user. 